quotation

American  

[kwoh-tay-shuhn] / kwoʊˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

• quotations
  plural

1. something that is quoted; a passage quoted from a book, speech, etc..

   a speech full of quotations from Lincoln's letters.

   Synonyms:

   selection, citation, extract

2. the act or practice of quoting.

3. Commerce.

   1. the statement of the current or market price of a commodity or security.

   2. the price so stated.

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quotation British  

/ kwəʊˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. a phrase or passage from a book, poem, play, etc, remembered and spoken, esp to illustrate succinctly or support a point or an argument

2. the act or habit of quoting from books, plays, poems, etc

3. commerce a statement of the current market price of a security or commodity

4. an estimate of costs submitted by a contractor to a prospective client; tender

5. stock exchange registration granted to a company or governmental body, enabling the shares and other securities of the company or body to be officially listed and traded

6. printing a large block of type metal that is less than type-high and is used to fill up spaces in type pages

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prequotation
  noun
• self-quotation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• quotations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of quotation

1525–35; 1810–15 quotation for def. 3; < Medieval Latin quotātiōn- (stem of quotātiō ), equivalent to quotāt ( us ) (past participle of quotāre; see quote) + -iōn- -ion

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Explanation

A quotation is the exact words of someone else. When you like what someone said, put their quotation in your writing. Quotations are a big part of writing. People use quotations when something is well-said. A quotation from someone famous or smart can help make your own point sound better. When you use a quotation, always remember to put it in quotation marks and give proper credit. Also, don't change any of the words: a quotation should be exactly what the person said or wrote.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

quotation quotations

Instead, discussions rely heavily on selective quotation, vocal individuals or assumptions about community views.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

And by my use of quotation marks, I mean the public Fauci, as opposed to the private Fauci.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Younger parents who grew up in the digital age have done their research — “research” in quotation marks — for months.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

This was in response to his grandfather’s quotation: “You can never succeed when you have hate on your mind.”

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026

In most cases, an exclamation point goes inside the quotation marks.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Now, Dazhai is overflowing with shops selling items that support Mao's personality cult -- posters, playing cards, and crockery emblazoned with his image, and the "Little Red Book" of his quotations.

From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026

The following year, Pulte even produced a slim volume annotating some of his grandfather’s sayings and quotations.

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026

A pair of Orange County immigration attorneys received temporary suspensions after the court discovered they used generative AI to write briefs that included “multiple nonexistent cases, misattributed quotations, and gross misrepresentations.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

Glover has said he will take with him a Bible, his wedding rings and family heirlooms, along with a collection of inspirational quotations compiled by Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart.

From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026

He parlayed not, but simply handed me sheets of quotations, bowed briefly, and walked out.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

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Related Words

• excerpt
• passage
• quote
• reference

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